λεύσσω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Λευκός· παρὰ τὸ λεύσσω τὸ βλέπω, ὁ διαφανὴς καὶ λαμπρός
Translation (En)
Leukos ("bright"): from leussō ("to see"), that which is clear and shining
Parallels
Etym. Parvum, lambda 1 (Λευκός· παρὰ τὸ λεύσσω, τὸ βλέπω· ὁ εὐσύνοπτος καὶ εὐειδὴς καὶ λαμπρός, λέγεται καὶ χρῶμα διακριτικὸν ὄψεως· τὸ μὲν γὰρ λευκὸν διακρίνει καὶ διαχέει τὴν ὄψιν· τὸ δὲ μέλαν συγκριτικόν ἐστι· συγκρίνει γάρ); Epimerismi homerici Iliadem 1.55b (λευκώλενος: παρὰ τὸ λεύσ<σ>ω, τὸ βλέπω, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου τὸ μέλαν (τὸ δὲ μέλαν τὸ μὴ βλεπόμενον παρὰ τὸ λάω, τὸ βλέπω, καὶ τὸ μή γίνεται μῆλαν καί, τροπῇ τοῦ η εἰς ε μέλαν)); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, lambda 12 (λευκός (Γ 103): παρὰ τὸ λεύσσω, τὸ βλέπω· ὁ εὐσύνοπτος καὶ εὐειδὴς καὶ λαμπρός, ἐξ οὗ καὶ λευκὸν λέγεται χρῶμα διακριτικὸν ὄψεως. τὸ μὲν γὰρ λευκὸν διακρίνει καὶ διαχέει τὴν ὄψιν· μέλαν δὲ λέγεται χρῶμα συγκριτικὸν ὄψεως· τὸ γὰρ μέλαν συγκρίνει καὶ συγχέει τὴν ὄψιν); Etym. Gudianum, lambda, p. 366 (idem); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, lambda 13 (τὸ δὲ λευκόν παρὰ τὸ λεύσσω, τὸ βλέπω, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου τὸ μέλαν, τὸ μὴ βλεπόμενον, παρὰ τὸ λάω, τὸ βλέπω, καὶ τὴν μή ἀπαγόρευσιν); ibid., lambda 35 (λευκός: ὄνομα ἐπιθετικὸν ῥηματικὸν παρὰ τὸ λεύσσω); Etym. Gudianum, lambda, p. 366 (τὸ δὲ λευκὸν παρὰ τὸ λεύσσω τὸ βλέπω, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου τὸ μέλαν μὴ βλεπόμενον· συγκριτικὸν δὲ ἐστὶ τὸ οἱονεὶ συνάγον. τὸ γὰρ μέλαν συνάγει τὴν ὅρασιν); ibid., mu, p. 378 (Μαλακὸς, παρὰ τὸ μαλάσσω μαλακός, ὥσπερ παρὰ τὸ λεύσσω λευκός); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 137 Van der Valk (διὰ τὸ λευκόν, ὅπερ ἐκ τοῦ λεύσσειν ἤτοι βλέπειν παράγεται); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 233 (Παρὰ τὸ γλαύσσω, γλαυκὸς, ὡς λεύσσω λευκός); ibid., p. 561 (Λευκός: Παρὰ τὸ λεύσσω, τὸ βλέπω, λευκὸς, ὁ διαφανὴς καὶ λαμπρὸς καὶ εὐσύνοπτος καὶ εὐειδής· ἐξ οὗ καὶ λευκὸν λέγεται χρῶμα διακριτικὸν ὄψεως); Scholia in Oppianum, Hal. 1.515 (λευκὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ λεύσσω τὸ βλέπω, μέλαν δ’ ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ λάειν ἤως βλέπειν)
Comment
This is the correct explanation, widely repeated in our sources but only in late sources. However, it is likely that the etymology is old, since in fact it was a matter of regular derivation rather than of etymological analysis in the Greek sense: that can explain that the etymology is not found in earlier sources which do not bother with "obvious" etymologies. It gave rise to an etymology ex antonymo for μέλας, attested in Orion (see μέλας / μή + λάω), which implies that the understanding of the derivation λευκός / λεύσσω is older